Study on Application of E-commerce and Organizational Performance in Taiwanese Professional Sports Event Promotion Organizations

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1 Study on Application of E-commerce and Organizational Performance in Taiwanese Professional Sports Event Promotion Organizations Chien-Chao Chen, Asia University, Taiwan ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to explore possible relationship between the application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The hypothesis for this research was: There was a significant relationship between the application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The method employed quantitative research method in conducting this study. The research participants were 25 owners/managers in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient and descriptive statistics were used to test the research hypothesis. Research result supported the research hypothesis that there was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Research result indicated that e-commerce could reduce the cost of operation and enhance a competitive position of this industry. Through the application of E-commerce, organizational goals are consistently met or exceeded and the professional sports event promotion organizations also could know who their customers are. Finally, the author provided several recommendations as follows: (1) Determine the types of resources that organization intends to utilize and the services that the organization will be providing using E-commerce; (2) Determine what types of E-commerce connection best suits organization s needs; (3) Emphasize the nature of E-commerce and the importance of organizational operation and organizational performance. Keywords: Professional sports event promotion Application of E-commerce Organizational Performance. INTRODUTION The purpose of this research was to explore possible relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The hypothesis for this research was: There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. E-commerce will still deliver sizable benefits in the form of improved customer and supplier relationships and a reduction in the costs of doing professional sports event promotion (McFadden, 1996). An organization that cannot utilize E-commerce both as productivity tool and as a marketing tool may have a tremendous disadvantage compared to its competitors. This exploratory study investigated the possible relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance of particular professional sports event promotion organizations. This study may offer important information about the impact of E-commerce use and organizational performance for professional sports event promotion organizations. 66 The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June 2008

2 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter will discuss the advantage of the E-commerce and utilizing E-commerce in the organization. E-commerce means that commerce conducted over the Internet, most often via the World Wide Web. E-commerce can apply to purchases made through the Web or to professional sports event promotion-to-professional sports event promotion activities such as inventory transfers. A customer can order items from a vendor's Web site, paying with a credit card (the customer enters account information via the computer) or with a previously established cybercash account. The transaction information is transmitted (usually by modem) to a financial institution for payment clearance and to the vendor for order fulfillment. Personal and account information is kept confidential through the use of " secured transactions" that use encryption technology (Sylvia, 1998). The Internet provides an opportunity to create markets, and serve customers in ways hitherto unimaginable. A couple of years ago many viewed electronic commerce as simply trading using online networks and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). For them, the Internet was totally irrelevant and unsuitable for electronic commerce. Their views have changed! Many large companies and retailers are now flocking to the Internet. Many have suffered set-backs through rishing into this new medium carrying over baggage from established practices, This briefing sets out the scope of Internet commerce, indicates the opportunities and challenges, and gives insights into the strategies of the entrepreneurs who are succeeding (Crichton and Edgar, 2000). Internet is an intermediary for information exchange. Internet can store vast amounts of information. Internet has powerful means of searching. Internet can organizing, and disseminating information Internet can offer interactively. Internet can facilitate the transaction of Information-based products. For sellers and buyers, all these functions can be achieved with lower cost than traditional ways. Internet can provide faithful reproduction of descriptive and experiential product information. Internet can provide a greatly expanded universe of offering s relative to what can be accessed now through local or catalog shopping. Internet can provide an efficient means of screening the offerings to find the most appealing options for more detailed consideration. Internet can provide unimpeded search across stores and brands and memory for past selection, which simplifies information searching and purchase decisions (Lin, 1997). The way Internet can be used as a source of added value and competitive advantage for the companies. IT strategies successful in deploying E-Commerce in this uncertain environment must accomplish the following: (1) Show how IT can add value specifically in the context of the contemporary professional sports event promotion environment. (2) Reference the changed competitive threats and opportunities in this environment. (3) Address the uncertainty that characterizes the market and professional sports event promotion operations (Aranha, 1999). Internet also can provide rich information to customers. Marketers can use Internet to establish a strong brand name. Marketers can collect more customer database from Internet (Whitworth, 1999). Rockart and Scott (1999)stated that computer experience positively affected the tendency toward adoption of Internet technology. However, barriers to the adoption of the Internet to professional sports event promotiones were found to be lack of security, lack of curiosity, lack of confidence, and lack of knowledge, and companies in use the Web have reached an acceptance level of Web information utilization in their conduct professional sports event promotion. Managers were satisfied with the accessibility, productivity, and efficiency of the Web in their professional sports event promotiones. He also said that quality resources, services, and Internet training are required to establish a dependable e-commerce over the Web. E-Commerce are including: (1) The full sales and marketing cycle for example, by analysing online The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June

3 feedback to ascertain customer's needs; (2) Identifying new markets - through exposure to a global audience through the World Wide Web; (3) Developing ongoing customer relationships - achieving loyalty through ongoing interaction; (4) Assisting potential customers with their purchasing decision - for example by guiding them through product choices in an intelligent way; (5) Providing round-the-clock points of sale - making it easy for buyers to order online, irrespective of location; (6) Supply Chain Management - supporting those in the supply chain, such as dealers and distributors, through online interaction; (7) Ongoing Customer Support - providing extensive after-sales support to customers by online methods; thus increasing satisfaction, deepening the customer relationship and closing the selling loop through repeat and onging purchases (Ives and Learmonth, 2001). Professional sports event promotion activities that via the Internet having the following benefits: (1) Timeliness - Your Web site is accessible round the clock. queries can be handled more expeditiously and completely than is often possible by mail or phone; (b) Reduced Marketing Costs - Online catalogues are cheapre to produce and maintain that paper catalogues; (c) Better Targetting - Internet communities are self selecting. People with particular interests tend to visit particaulr places in Cyberspace. Customers find you, rather than vice versa; (d) Greater Market Reach - Distance is no object. Sending information or exchanging messages costs virtually the same as someone locally. You don't need to pay expensive courier bills; (f) Reduced communications costs - With electronic networking it cost virtually the same to send a message to 100 people as to one; (g) Improved After Sales Service - By providing online support, customers can serve themselves for many of the common post-sales information needs (Kalakota and Whinston, 2001). Internet marketing is expanding rapidly and should not be slowed by publicity about security or reliability with browsers and World Wide Web (Web) servers. Electronic commerce is more viable every day, as solutions to problems emerge gradually. Using the Internet for customer service reduces paper glut and makes financial and other transactions easier. Electronic commerce reduces costs by promoting competition in a vendor-centered marketplace that has no geographical boundaries. E-commerce will still deliver sizable benefits in the form of improved customer and supplier relationships and a reduction in the costs of doing professional sports event promotion (McFadden, 1996). METHODOLOGY The purpose of this research was to explore possible relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The study employed survey research to determine whether an impact exists between the dependent variable Application of E-commerce and the independent variable organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations, measured by the Survey of the Impact of E-commerce Use in the Organization. Research Design The method employed quantitative research method in conducting this study was measure the use of E-commerce in various Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations and provided an overview of the method of E-commerce use in professional sports event promotion organizations organizational performances. The goal of this study was to help professional sports event promotion organizations owners/ managers understand how important it was to integrate E-commerce into their professional sports event promotion. 68 The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June 2008

4 A correlation research design was utilized to test the research hypothesis. The hypothesis for this research was: There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The independent variable in this hypothesis was organizational performance of the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations and the dependent variable in this hypothesis was Application of E-commerce. Sample and Participants The research samples were 25 Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The participants of this research were one owner/manager from each sample Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organization. Data Collection In this research, the author was use survey instrumentation to collect the research data. This research was focus on the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The data collected from Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations owners/managers from each sample professional sports event promotion organization. Instrumentation The instrument for this research was a valid, reliable questionnaire. The instrument of this research employed Survey of the Impact of E-commerce Use in the Organization made by author. The author states that this instrumentation could test the impact of E-commerce applied in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organization. The survey instrument that measured the professional sports event promotion organizations' satisfaction with the performance of E-commerce consisted of 30 items, designed to ask about the impact of E-commerce use in the organization. This questionnaire included six scales. The questionnaire design followed the purpose of the research and the research hypothesis to explore the possible relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Reliability and Validity Instrument reliability for Survey of the Impact of E-commerce Use in the Organization was based on the fact that the author used Crobach to measure the reliability of his study scale. The reliability of each scale was assessed by Coefficient Alpha Crobanchα over 0.6. Nunnally (1967) suggests that the minimum acceptable level of reliability is 0.5. Instrument validity for Survey of the Impact of E-commerce Use in the Organization, according to the author, to ensure face validity of the instrument the questionnaire was sent to some of owners/managers of Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organization. In light of discussion and feedback, the questionnaire was modified. An instrument possesses content validity if its scales are representative of all aspects of the attributes being measured (Raymond, 1987). Evaluating content validity is basically a question of judgment. During a pilot study phase in early 2001, an initial questionnaire was given to thirty chief owners/managers of Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations by mail. Finally, 30 questionnaires were received from chief owners/managers of Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The evidence from the discussion has provided a content validity of this instrument. The responses received from the pilot study of 30 chief owners/managers of Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations are in line with the responses measured by the instrument for this study. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June

5 Data Analysis Statistical procedures were conducted to determine the possible existence of a relationship of E-commerce use and the organizational performance of professional sports event promotion organizations. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the impact of E-commerce applied in the professional sports event promotion organizations. The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was used to test the research hypothesis for whether there is or is not a relationship of Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance of professional sports event promotion organizations. The accepted level of significance in research has been established at the 0.05 level of significance (Fraenkel & Wallen, 1993; Popham and Sirotnik, 1992). The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software program was used to complete the analysis of data. The results of data analysis are presented in Chapter Four and Five. Presentation and Analysis of Data The purpose of this chapter was to present a description of the research data and to analyze the data relating to the research hypothesis of the study. The hypothesis for this research was: There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The findings in this chapter contain the raw data, and the narrative results relating to the research. The results are organized and discussed in four sections: source of data, descriptive statistics, analysis of data, and summary. Source of Data The research was conducted with 25 owners/managers in 25 Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Each participant completed the Survey of the Impact of E-commerce Use in the Organization. Descriptive Statistics for Total Sample This section provides descriptive statistics results for total sample of impact of E-commerce applied in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. There were 25 Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations owners/managers who (N=25) answered these questions. The descriptive statistics was employed to test the impact of the use of E-commerce and organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Results indicated that Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations owners/managers were agree and strongly agree for there was significant impact of Application of E-commerce and organizational performance in their professional sports event promotion organizations in following: E-commerce s online transactions can reduce the cost of operation and enhance a competitive position of this industry in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. E-commerce can reduce expenses of printing; personnel expenses and the need for fax in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. E-commerce could provide frequent interaction between supplier and consumer in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. E-commerce could improve customer service in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Through the application of E-commerce, Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations organizational goals are consistently met or exceeded. 70 The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June 2008

6 Through the application of E-commerce, Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations know who their customers are. Through the application of E-commerce, Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations develop services to match their customers' needs. Through the application of E-commerce, Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations are efficient. Through the application of E-commerce, Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations benefit is high. In summary, the results found that there was a significant impact of the use of E-commerce and organizational performance in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Analysis of Data This section includes an analysis of the data obtained using the research instrument. The analysis of the data for research results provides information necessary to answer the hypothesis posed. The sample consisted of 25 Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations owners/managers (N=25). The survey instrument, The Survey of the Impact of E-commerce Use in the Organization, consisted of 30 items designed to determine the impact of E-commerce use in the organization. The responses from the surveys were entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and a series of statistical tests were run using a significance level of The hypotheses are listed below. The study contained a major hypothesis. There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. This hypothesis was examined as follows. The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was used to examine the relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Correlation is a statistical technique that is used to measure and describe an impact between two variables. Siegal and Castellan (1988) stated that the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient is used to discover the strength of a link between two sets of data. The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient is identified by letter ρ. These analyses were based on research data and compiled from the responses to the Survey of the Impact of E-commerce Use in the Organization. Correlation between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations, Spearmanρhad a value of (p = 0.000) for the total sample. This result supported the research hypothesis that there was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The result also indicated that this relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance was positive. Summary The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient results were used to test the primary research hypothesis: There was a significant impact of the E-commerce use on the organizational operations in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient results supported the following research hypothesis: There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Chapter Four contained the interpretation and presentation of the data in narrative, tabular, and statistical form. Chapter Five contains conclusions, and recommendations. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June

7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The purpose of this chapter is to present and discuss the results of the study. The chapter is divided into the following major categories: finding, conclusions, and recommendations. This section describes the finding of this research. All findings are based on descriptive statistics and the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient. The descriptive statistics indicated that most Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations owners/managers agree or strong agree that the Application of E-commerce could have important impact on their organizational performances. Therefore, the analysis supported the research hypothesis: There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The major focus of the study was to determine if there was relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the professional sports event promotion organizations. Research hypothesis was examined. Specifically, the research hypothesis stated that there was a relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the professional sports event promotion organizations. Research participants were surveyed and tested scores to determine the relationship. A Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was conducted to determine if relationship existed between the Application of E-commerce and organizational performances of professional sports event promotion organizations. The data revealed there was a significant relationship between the E-commerce use and organizational performances of professional sports event promotion organizations (p= 0.000). The two variables, the E-commerce use and organizational performances of professional sports event promotion organizations, were shown to have a significant and positive relationship (ρ= 0.515). This positive relationship suggested that as the use of E-commerce increased, the impact of organizational performance increased. Therefore, there was a positive significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. The finding supported the research hypothesis: There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Conclusions The goal of this study was to help owner and manager in Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organization understand how important it is to integrate E-commerce into their stores. The study showed the existence of a significant positive relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. What are the implications of these findings? The results substantiated the existence of relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Overall, the study accomplished the task of establishing the relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the professional sports event promotion organizations. The results of this research supported the research hypothesis: There was a significant relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations. Recommendations The study provided a starting point for investigating the relationship between the Application of E-commerce and the organizational performance in the professional sports event promotion organizations. 72 The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June 2008

8 While providing useful information, further research should be conducted to obtain more concise information in the use of E-commerce. For some of the professional sports event promotion organizations involved in the study, it would be interesting to investigate further with larger groups of participants, focusing on different kind of professional sports event promotion organizations around the world. The future research also could focus on the impact of Application of E-commerce in the any kinds of professional sports event promotion organizations around the world. The impact has been established in this study. The challenge now is to assist Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations plan for the use of E-commerce to exceed organizational goals in their organizations. However, with the following recommendations, the Taiwanese professional sports event promotion organizations can effectively utilize E-commerce to gain competitive advantages: Determine the types of resources that the professional sports event promotion organization intends to utilize and the services that the professional sports event promotion organization will be providing using E-commerce. Determine what types of E-commerce connection best suits the professional sports event promotion organization s needs. Determine what types of hardware and software are needed for use of E-commerce in the professional sports event promotion organization. Train professional sports event promotion organization s owners/managers and employees on the proper use of E-commerce applications. Emphasize the nature of E-commerce and the importance of professional sports event promotion organizational operation and organizational performance. REFERENCES Aranha, J. P. (1999) SVITA: A structured value-based approach to IT E-Commerce initiatives (Master Thesis, University of Louisville, Master Thesis Abstract 38 (2), pp Crichton, E. and Edgar, D. Managing (2000) complexity for Competitive advantage: An IT perspective. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 7 (23), Ives, B. and Learmonth, L.V. (2001) The E-commerce as a competitive weapon. Communications of the ACM, 34 (12), p Kalakota, R. and Whinston A.B (2001). Frontier of Electronic Commerce. New York :Addison-Wesley, pp Lin, P.Y. (1997) The Relationship Between Internet and Professional sports event promotion Success in Taiwan. Unpublished master s thesis, Nation Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, p McFadden, M. Commerce on the Net (reprinted from Digital Age), Soft Base, 48(1). Nunnally, J. (1967). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill. Nunnally, J. (1967) Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill,. Popham, W. J. and Sirotnik, K. A (1992) Understanding statistics in education, Itasca, Illinois: F. E. Peacock Publishers. Raymond, H. (1987). Research method, New York: McGraw-Hill. Rockart, J. F.and Scott, M.S.(1999) E-commerce: A strategic opportunity. Sloan Management Review,, P3-10. Siegal S. and Castellan Jr. N.J (1998). Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences, 2nd. Ed. McGraw Hill Book Company New York,. Sylvia, D.(1998) E-com creating public key infrastructure demand. a study by the Radicati Group finds that electronic commerce is driving creation of a public-key infrastructure. Industry Trend or Event, Computing Canada,Vol. 24,, 14(1). Whitworth, J. E. (1999) Global information technology applications: Use and impact at the firm level Dissertation Abstracts International, A 60/06, 1999, pp The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning Vol. 4, Num. 1, June